The Teele Tribe

 We had a really special and fun Christmas this year. Not only did we get to enjoy lots of quality time with the Teele family, but we also had some time to enjoy our first Christmas as a married couple. So thankful for the memories we have made this week that we can treasure for a lifetime!

A beautiful present from my husband

Presents at Christmas time are so much fun, especially giving them. I find so much joy in watching others open the gifts I've given them. I think that's what God must feel when He gives us blessings in life... It truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

Our first tree and presents

Clint and I loved opening the gifts from each other on Christmas morning, and we also got to open gifts that my family sent from back East. It almost made it feel like we got to celebrate with them too! By the way, Mom, Dutch Blitz was the perfect gift... it's already gotten used like five times! :)

Christmas celebrations

Christmas celebrations with the Teele family included a name exchange where we drew names and bought a gift (or several) for that person. It was so much fun getting to open those gifts on Christmas morning with all the family. 9 of the 12 Teele siblings were there, as well as 5 grandchildren, so it made for a full, chaotic, and very fun celebration!

New puppies at the Teele farm

There's always new life at the Teele farm, and some puppies arrived just in time for Christmas! Their eyes are almost open, and they are super cute!

Enjoying some Dutch Blitz

Almost any Teele gathering is incomplete without at least one game of something, whether it's invented on the spot or an actual card or board game.

Paintball with slingshots (photo from my mother-in-law)

Yesterday, we had a really fun game of paintball using slingshots. I can't resist a good, sportsy game, so I added a bit of extra padding around my middle and joined in! We had tons of fun, got plenty dirty, and loved every second of it! One nice thing about playing sports with the Teeles: if you get a group of them together, you automatically have large teams! :)

I hope your Christmas season has been a wonderful one, and even if you weren't able to celebrate with family this year, I hope that this time of celebrating the greatest Gift of all was special!